What Matters Most
by Starlight Warrior 1092
Summary: "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Rubypaw, a Daylight-Warrior, desides that maybe... her life isn't all that she wants it to be. Maybe... she needs something to change. Will she stay in the clan, or will she leave to stay with her housefolk? To find out, she has to find what matters most.


**Hello everyone. I've decided to take another challenge from WillowClan, my clan of awesomeness! This month's prompt is the June prompt, made by my buddy Jay, which is:**

**_"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."_**

**I do not own Warriors. Now let's see how this goes. Word count: 2,570, according to my computer. :3**

* * *

I watched, waiting for the right moment to strike. My claws were out, ready to tear through whatever flesh stood in my way. My eyes were glued on the enemies in front of me, each of them was there to hurt my family. My _clan_.

I found myself growling a low, dark growl as I leaped at the first one. He let out a screech as my claws dug deep into his fur, ripping into the soft skin on his back. His eyes met mine, but I couldn't see any pride in his. He wasn't full of pride for protecting _his_ clan. _He_ wasn't in a clan, not like me. _I_ was the one who was saving _my_ family. I was the one who would die for them. And he seemed to see that in my eyes as he flinched away.

* * *

"Hey, what are you _doing?_" I looked up and away from the mouse I was hungrily eating. Blood was still on my lips, so I quickly licked it away. Looking around, I came face to face with my mentor.

"Lazy apprentice," Ivyheart muttered as she watched me with the mouse. "Did you go out _hunting_ yet?" I shook my head, no. I hadn't, but I was _going_ to! "After you're done with _that_," her tail flicked to my half-eaten mouse, "Get some hunting done."

As she walked away, I _swear_ I heard her growl, "Mouse brained _kitty-warrior_."

My name's Rubypaw. I was called a Daylight-Warrior, since I helped out my clan during the day but then went back to my housefolk at nighttime. I didn't really understand what was wrong with that, since I ate less food than the other warriors who were there all of the time. I usually only had one or two mice a day, where others had one or two mice along with a squirrel, a bird, a rabbit or such.

And what's wrong with having housefolk to take care of me? It just means that I won't take up any room in the dens, I won't get sick as much as the others, and I can still hunt and fight for the clan. That is, unless they're fighting at night. Then I guess I won't be there for them...

I took another gulp of my mouse before burying the bones in some dirt. Licking my lips, I got up and stretched my legs. I gave my dilute calico fur a few licks before I headed towards the camp entrance.

"Where are you going, Rubypaw?" The cat that was guarding the entrance, Elmfall, asked as I padded past him.

"I'm heading out to do some hunting," I answered, rolling my eyes. "Ivyheart's just mad because I ate a mouse, and aparently I'm _not_ allowed to eat any mice."

"Maybe you should try a squirrel next time," Elmfall joked, purring.

I laughed. "Maybe! But then I might be searching the elders for ticks and fleas... I would _much_ rather be hunting than _that_." Hunting was a _ton _better than having to spend the afternoon with the elders.

"Good luck with your hunting," Elmfall meowed as I left. I nodded to him before padding out of sight.

"Where to start, where to start?" I muttered to myself as I pad through the forest. I pass a giant rock, where I heard a story about a brave cat dying when the rocks tumbled down. I shiver in excietement, thinking about battles. I wanted to prove myself to my clan, but I didn't know how just yet. I was thinking that being brave in a battle might prove myself, but I had other ideas too.

They _scorned_ bme for being a Daylight-Warrior, so I had been thinking about that for a long time now. I was thinking that maybe, just _maybe_, I might be able to leave my housefolk and join the clan full-time. But I hadn't completely decided yet.

Seeing a thrush pecking at some nuts and roots. My senses instantly became that of hunting, and I dropped into a crouch. I heard that a cat named Firestar had first come to rebuild SkyClan, and he had shown Leafstar, the first leader of SkyClan, hunting moves from his clan, ThunderClan. That's where we learned our 'hunter's crouch' that turned into a SkyClan move if the bird tried to get away. And right now, it seemed like it wanted to.

The thrush looked up and spotted me, but it was too late. I glared at the bird as it tried to take off into the air. But my SkyClan speed was too much for it. I sprung into the air and plucked the bird out of the air, bringing it slamming back down into the ground before giving it a sharp bite to the neck.

Sure, I hadn't been _born_ in SkyClan, but I still had their skill. My father was from SkyClan, and his mate, my mother, had been from SkyClan too, but my mother had run off scared and became a kittypet. Her name used to be Mouseflower, but now she's called Ice-cube. So I still had the skills that my clanmates had, and decided to become a 'part time' member of the clan, as Ivyheart called it.

"Got ya," I whispered, grinning as I picked up the dead bird in my jaws. I brought it over to a patch of ferns, where I dropped it and scratched some dirt over it. "Now, to find more prey... Ivyheart will _never_ let me come back with only one thrush!"

With my tail high and my spirits lifted, I searched for more prey. After a _long_ time of searching and finding prey, I started on my way back to the camp. The sun was going down, and I needed to be getting back to my housefolk soon.

"Ivyheart!" I called, though my call was muffled by the prey in my mouth. I pushed my way through the bushes that lead to the camp entrance, where I nodded to Elmfall before heading into the camp.

"Ivyheart!" I called again, spotting the white tabby sitting in the middle of camp. I smiled and made my way over to her.

"Come _on_, Ivyheart!" I paused on my way over. Jumping behind some ferns, I wanted to listen to their conversation. I _knew_ that it was wrong, but I couldn't help myself. Plus, I was going to bring Ivyheart some prey. I knew that she wasn't going to be my mentor for long, since I was almost a warrior and she was almost a queen. I smiled at the thought of little Ivyhearts running around. Sure, she could be strict, but she always cared for me like I was her kit. She was just getting sharp because it was painful for her to walk around so much while having to carry around her quickly growing kits.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Hollypelt," Ivyheart growled at the black and white she cat sitting next to her.

"Oh come _on!_" Hollypelt sighed. "You can't _possibly_ be telling me that you aren't ashamed at _all _that you were given a _kitty-warrior_ as an apprentice! I mean, _Ruby_ isn't even around half of the day! How could she _ever_ become a warrior?" Hollypelt snorted.

I stared out of the bushes, gasping in shock. D-did Ivyheart think that too? D-did she not _really_ care about me at all? Was it all just an act? Was she just like Hollypelt- mean, cold and heartless towards Daylight-Warriors?

"Hollypelt," Ivyheart meowed, shaking her head. "Why must you always bother me about it? Ruby_paw_ is an apprentice, just like any other in the clan!"

"So you're _not_ mad that Larkstar gave you the _only_ kitty-_apprentice_ in the entire clan?" Hollypelt sneered.

Ivyheart looked at the ground, closing her eyes. "I... Um..."

I couldn't believe it! Was Ivyheart _really_ that ashamed that _I_ was her apprentice? No! M-maybe, just maybe, I shouldn't _be_ her apprentice if she thought that way! I walked out of the bushes and stopped, staring at Ivyheart and Hollypelt. I dropped the squirrel that I was carrying towards her. Hurt was thick in my eyes as I turned my head away and started to leave.

"Rubypaw, wait!" Ivyheart yowled, leaping to her paws.

I didn't want to look at her. She hated who I was, _what_ I was. And if being a _kitty-warrior_ was all that I was good at, then maybe I shouldn't _be_ one! No one seems to like us anyway! No one cares for us, they just look at us like we're fox dung that should be buried before it contaiminates the fresh kill pile.

"Wait!" Ivyheart called, but I was already running. One of the things that I loved about being part of the clan half the day was that I still got to walk, or _run_, around the twolegplace during the nights. And that made me a faster runner than most.

I sprinted out of the camp, not bothering to tell Elmfall where I was going. I saw a look of confusion in his eyes. And before I turned away, I saw him call over to Ivyheart, who stopped next to him.

"Maybe I shouldn't be in the clan at all," I cried to myself as I raced towards my one and _only_ home. Leaping the fence, something I had gotten very good at since I always returned home everyday.

As I headed into the nest, I stared out to the forest that I was leaving. Something in my heart told me that I didn't want to leave them, my clan, my family. But my mind told me that I needed to, at least until I knew what I was going to do.

"Hey there Ruby," My housefolk, a kind woman who sometimes had a fierce temper, cooed to me. All I understood, really, was a greeting and my name. She was greeting me, now that I was home.

I sighed and headed to my bed, where I layed down and closed my eyes.

* * *

"Are you _sure_ that they live around here?" I heard a faint voice. My ears perked up, and I lifted my head. I hadn't heard _those_ voices before.

"SkyClan, you're not going to live much longer," Another cat muttered.

What? Someone was going to hurt SkyClan? Not on _my_ watch! I leaped to my paws and turned to my exit and ran silently from my housefolk's nest. I had to get to the clan before those _other_ cats that I heard could get there!

"Help!" I screamed, once I was far enough away from those cats htat they wouldn't hear me. I barged through the entrance, startling the cat who was on guard. Hollypelt.

"Help!" I screeched again. "SkyClan's under attack! _Help!_"

Cats came scrambling out of their dens, eyes wide even though they were still half asleep.

"What's going on?" Some of them murmured, yawning.

"There are cats who were making their way past my housefolk's nest, er- den," I meowed, using more _clan_ words. "They said that SkyClan wasn't going to live much longer! They're on their way _here!_"

"Are you _sure_?" Hollypelt growled. "What would _you_ be doing up so late at night?"

"Listening," I growled. "...Crying." I glared over at Hollypelt, and Ivyheart who was standing next to her.

"Why?" Larkstar asked, her voice soft and caring.

"Hollypelt," I growled. "She was being mean to us Daylight-Warriors."

"Hollypelt," Larkstar meowed, glaring at the black and white warrior. "Why-"

Larkstar was cut off as cats poured into the clearing.

"Attack!" A big tabby and white tomcat yowled as he sprung at Larkstar.

I watched, wide eyed, as cats started fighting all around me. This was my _chance!_ I realized that if I could be brave here, I might get noticed by Larkstar. She might make me a warrior!

I don't want to go back, I realized. I don't want to go back to my twolegs, my ex-housefolk. I want to stay here. I want to be a _clan_ cat, not a house pet. I wanted to be free. I wanted to fall in love, have a family, spend my moons with the cats I cared about. I didn't want to live _half a life_ anymore. Knowing that, I sprung into the battle.

"Get out of here!" I hissed at the tomcat that I landed on, clawing into his back and flipping him over onto his stomach. "Why do you have to hurt my family?"

"I-I don't know," The tomcat answered, his eyes wide with fear. "I was told to come here... we'd take over the clan. They, um, can't even fight well... I heard..."

I grinned, letting him go. "You heard _wrong_. We fight, we win, and we show mercy." I gave him a friendly smile. "Now get out of here, before someone hurts you even more."

The tomcat nodded and raced off, his tail between his legs. I would never see that tomcat again, I knew. But I didn't care. He wouldn't be hurting my family anymore. And after the last cat was chased off, Larkstar stood in the middle of the clearing gazing at all of her cats.

"Rubypaw," Larkstar announced. "Come forward."

Confused, I padded over to the leader.

"Ivyheart, is Rubypaw ready to become a warrior?" Larkstar meowed, smiling. I stared at her, thinking that it _must_ be a dream.

"Rubypaw's _been_ ready," Ivyheart nodded, smiling at me warmly. I gave her a thankful glance.

"Rubypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" Larkstar asked.

I knew what I had to say, not because they were the words to say, but because I truely felt that I would. "I do. B-but Larkstar..."

Larkstar looked at me, confused. "Yes?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before looking at her, strength and pride filling my spirit. "I don't want to be a Daylight-Warrior anymore. I want to be a full member of the clan, if it's okay with you. I don't want to be _Ruby_-anything anymore."

Larkstar nodded, her gaze full of pride for me. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your new name. From this moment on, you shall be known as Featherheart. StarClan honors your bravery and courage, and we welcome you as a full momber of this clan."

The clan cheered my new name, and I looked over at Ivyheart. She nodded, and I couldn't help but smile. Featherheart. I _loved_ my new name! Feather was _beautiful_, and heart was just like Ivyheart.

"Thank you," I murmured. I knew that I had a vigil to take, but I had to do something first. I made my way through the crowd of cats and over to one cat in particular. I gave him a warm smile.

"Great job," Elmfall murmured, nodding his head to me.

"Elmfall," I meowed. "T-thanks. But there's something else that I need to talk to you about." I took a deep breath, and said the words that would change my life. "Elmfall, I _love_ you. W-would you, um, be my mate?"

And then the words spoken next were those that decided my fate. "Of course, Featherheart. I love you, too."

And then I _knew_ that I belonged in the clan. This was my home, now and for forever. Nothing was ever going to change that.

* * *

**How was that? Please leave some comments, constructive please, if possible. And, let's see who's the winner for this month! (I never quite learned who won _last_ month... *glares towards Pony* Who won Pony? XD)**


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